Signals

I am thinking about the space between rationality and intuition a lot lately. Or maybe rather between that which we have words for in order to explain and a logic in order to (maybe) agree to; and that which bubbles up from somewhere but that lacks the words other than “hunch,” “feeling,” “idea,” maybe “I want,” “I don’t like,” “I wish,” “I desire.”

When we come to a new place or things change a lot, it might be easier to trust our intuition, our “gut feeling.” It becomes more difficult when things have settled and there should be words. But aren’t we fooling ourselves about how much we know and especially how much we can explain?

I am usually very good with words, and yet I have learned to appreciate and be honest towards myself and others about how little I actually know when making decisions. Why meet this person and not that person? Why work on this project and not that? Why try this approach? How even to come up with an approach to try? I like to remind myself of that time, to look beyond the routines of my life now and think of of how arbitrary many of them actually are.

Are you tuned in to your intuition these days? Where do the signals come from to which you listen?